Improved Antibiotic Prescribing within a Veterans Affairs Primary Care System through a Multifaceted Intervention Centered on Peer Comparison of Overall Antibiotic Prescribing Rates

Reducing inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use is an important national goal. Limited data exist on targeted education and peer comparison of overall antibiotic prescribing rates as an antimicrobial stewardship strategy. Primary care professionals (PCPs) from all seven clinics within our health care system were offered an education session, followed by monthly e-mails with their antibiotic prescribing rate, peer prescribing rates, and a system target.